Out of Africa Redux

Bono and Ali Hewson, his wife, wants to revitalize apparel manufacturing in sub-Saharan Africa by manufacturing the clothes from their brand in China and Peru.

Ali Hewson and Bono in the campaign for Louis Vuitton.

Every Journey Began in Africa“. Oh, really? Checking in from that mythical magical place known as “Africa” (or, as Women’s Wear Daily reports, an “arid South African vista”) are Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, founders of the fashion brand, Edun, for which they shot this campaign. The campaign is part of a push to relaunch the brand, which Bono and Hewson founded in 2005 with, as the Wall Street Journal reports, “the lofty mission of revitalizing apparel manufacturing in sub-Saharan Africa.” Trade, not aid. That’s what “the Africans” tell Bono, anyway.

Which would be all well and good, except for the fact that, as WSJ revealed, Edun (the video is on Louis Vuitton’s Youtube channel) produces mainly in China and, to a lesser extent, in Peru. To be fair, as the article points out, that partly has to do with the fact that Edun ran up against the “limitations of African manufacturing” during its early years. Of course, where exactly in Africa such manufacturing was taking place, as well as why Edun was unprepared for such obstacles and what the brand plans to do about this in the future remains unclear.* But that’s Bono. According to Hewson, he is “unencumbered by practicalities.”

What are practicalities, after all, when it comes to saving helping Africa?

  • We hope trade unions, labor laws and export tariffs had nothing to do with it.

Further Reading

The rubble of empire

Built by Italian Fascists in 1928, Mogadishu Cathedral was meant to symbolize “peaceful conquest.” Today its ruins force Somalis to confront the uneasy afterlife of colonial power and religious authority.

Atayese

Honored in Yorubaland as “one who repairs the world,” Jesse Jackson’s life bridged civil rights, pan-Africanism, empire, and contradiction—leaving behind a legacy as expansive as it was imperfect.

Bread or Messi?

Angola’s golden jubilee culminated in a multimillion-dollar match against Argentina. The price tag—and the secrecy around it—divided a nation already grappling with inequality.

Visiting Ngara

A redevelopment project in Nairobi’s Ngara district promises revival—but raises deeper questions about capital, memory, and who has the right to shape the city.

Gen Z’s electoral dilemma

Long dismissed as apathetic, Kenya’s youth forced a rupture in 2024. As the 2027 election approaches, their challenge is turning digital rebellion and street protest into political power.

A world reimagined in Black

By placing Kwame Nkrumah at the center of a global Black political network, Howard W. French reveals how the promise of pan-African emancipation was narrowed—and what its failure still costs Africa and the diaspora.

Securing Nigeria

Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be solved by foreign airstrikes or a failing state, but by rebuilding democratic, community-rooted systems of collective self-defense.